Mentor
by Serlenia
Summary: When Harry's relatives decide to move to Gotham tragedy strikes leaving Harry orphaned. That is until a certain Dark Knight takes interest in him. Batman Crossover with maybe a glimsp of Teen Titans, though they won't be very important in this story.
1. When Cars Collide

**Note: I've fixed a few spelling errors and have explained a bit more about the adoption and why Bruce was able to adopt him so quickly. (Money is a powerful thing people, so is charisma XD) I'm going to go through the next two chapters I have and fix anything I don't like. I'll try to put up chapter four soon too. I told you I wasn't giving up! **

**New Note 7/21/12: Also, someone actually took the time to explain that dual citizenship wouldn't work and how it all works. It is noted and I thank the person for telling me this. However, for right now it'll just have to stay like this because I'd really like to focus on the actual story then to have to keep going back to fix plot holes and such. When I finally finish this story I plan to look for a Beta to help me go back and really fix all these mistakes. I actually have a new plan for how Harry gets adopted by Bruce but it would add a whole new chapter in-between this one and chapter two. **

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Batman or Teen Titans. The same goes for all my other chapters that I will make for this story.

Also, if you would like to Beta my story PLEASE tell me. I would really like to have a beta for this story so this story will turn out better than my others. So please message me if you would like to beta my story. That is all.

Chapter One: When Cars Collide 

Harry watched the tall skyscrapers and buildings pass them quickly. Gotham was indeed a very large and busy city. His uncle had finally gotten a promotion but it caused him to have to move to the United States of America. Harry also found out from his uncle that Gotham was home to an infamous Batman.

Of course, his uncle thought it was ridiculous, Harry himself found that he had a hard time believing this as well. Really, a guy dressed as a bat? Then he thought of how he thought magic being real was ridiculous and he had to reconsider his opinion.

'_This should be an interesting experience,' _he thought himself; _'I just hope that Dumbledore or any of the Order will be able to find me'_. Then before his thoughts could remind him of the ministry battle in which he lost his godfather, Sirius, his Uncle began to talk.

"Hopefully none of _his _kind will be able to get us here. After all we are in a different country!" Uncle Vernon said, clearly happy about this idea. Harry had a hard time from not telling his uncle that people from France and all over were still able to get to Hogwarts and that there was a thing called Floo Travel. The only thing that did keep his mouth shut was knowing that his uncle would get into a foul mood otherwise. He very much did not want to see what room he would get if he decided to speak of his freakishness.

Harry decided that to pass the time he would study his new surroundings more carefully. A lot of Gotham actually looked a bit gloomy and depressing but it was easy to look past that and see the life and bustle of people walking around and talking. This seemed to amaze him though, how could a city that felt and looked so gloomy still be so full of life?

His pondering was cut off as his felt his side being elbowed painfully; he turned his face from the window and looked at Dudley who was narrowing his eyes at him. Harry raised an eyebrow at him and stared not knowing why Dudley would even touch him. This was cleared for him though when Dudley suddenly shouted loudly.

"Daddddd, Harry's staring at me!" Dudley said then snickered silently while shooting a mocking glare at him before sniffling and looking at his father who had yet been able to look or respond. "He's scaring me!" Dudley protested.

Finally when his uncle had a chance to look back at Harry and glare. "Listen here you ungrateful brat, you better leave Dudley alone or you'll find yourself sleeping outside in a shed!" Uncle Vernon threatened before having to turn back and look at the road.

Harry glared at his cousin who seemed to be having a hard time not laughing before turning back to the window. _'Figures he'd have to make me miserable to keep himself entertained._' Harry thought angrily as the car continued forward at a smooth speed. His uncle and aunt seemed to have started a conversation about something but it soon turned to murmurs as his eyes drifted shut…

Harry was jerked awake by an awful screeching sound and the blare of horns. Before he knew it, he felt himself being jerked forward and a horrible, loud crunching noise blared in his ears, while his whole body seemed to ache terribly, before he felt himself pass out.

Mentor

Harry woke with a start and his ears were assaulted with whispers and talking. He slowly opened his eyes and sat up; as soon as he did, someone was holding his glasses for him. He slowly took them and looked around, but as he looked he suddenly wished he had not. Chaos was the only way to explain what he saw. His relatives' car was now smashed almost beyond recognition and the other car wasn't in good shape either. He saw a couple stretchers with white sheets over them and knew that there must be a body under them… and that body would never move again. He saw one ambulance already leaving, the alarms blaring as it sped off, but he saw three others and all had at least one stretcher in it with a white sheet on top. He felt his stomach do flips.

'_What if… my relatives have all died? What's going to happen to me now?' _he thought to himself, trying to hold down his panic at the same time. Finally, he took notice of the nurse near him, who by the way was giving him a pitying stare. He sighed, "Could you tell me what happened, please?" he asked her as calmly as he could.

"Sorry, but I can't explain everything right now…" she said to him before turning to someone behind him. "Finally! Pick him up now. He might not be as damaged as the others but he's still not in good condition." She said angrily. Then she turned back to him and smiled, "Go ahead and lay back down. Everything will be explained soon." She told him gently as she pushed him to lie back down on the stretcher, as he now realized, and he felt himself lifted into the air and put into one of the many ambulances.

Two paramedics got in after him and shut the door, the ambulance speeding off after they gave the word, sirens blaring. He thought about trying to listen to them but knew by now that they'd most likely talk in a medical language that he wouldn't understand. So instead he opted to look at his surroundings… they would get his attention when they needed it. Soon he felt his eyelids get heavier and soon he was asleep once more.

Mentor

When he awoke again, he found himself in a place similar to the hospital wing but here there were a bunch of machines that made weird noises. A few of them were hooked up to him while a few others lay blank and silent. He went to sit up but found it wasn't as easy as it had been before, the reason being all these dang wires. He felt the need to pull them out but didn't want to damage anything nor hurt himself so he looked around for anyone that could help. Unfortunately he found himself alone in a single bedroom, groaning he laid down and waited. _'At least they left my glasses on.' _he thought to himself.

After what seemed like hours, when it was actually only a half an hour, a nurse came in and smiled at him when she saw him awake. It took all his effort to smile back instead of glaring like he wanted to do.

"How are you Mister Potter?" she asked the boy in front of her. They had found the records of the other people that had been with this boy, the man and his family had transferred here from his work, but the only thing known of his nephew was that his name was Harry James Potter and a few medical records were found from his primary school.

Harry took a second to look at her before responding. "I'm doing well… Can you finally explain what happened Ms…" he asked her then squinted his eyes as he read the name tag, " Ms. Darkhart?" he finished and closed his eyes for a moment, his eyes for some reason didn't like squinting at the moment.

She smiled at him again. "Yes I can now explain to you what has happened. I'm guessing you weren't awake?" she asked him.

"No I was taking a nap when I woke to horns and a crunching noise, I then passed out." he explained to her not getting into too much detail.

"I thought so. Well dear, you were in a car crash. Fortunately you didn't get as injured as some of the other people involved. Unfortunately your relatives did not make it." she said softly waiting for his reaction but was surprised when he just looked down at the blanket before nodding.

"Okay… What about that others?" he asked, trying to keep himself from panicking and was really feeling glad he had sent Hedwig to Ron when they had to leave.

The nurse seemed to get that he was trying to not think of his relatives and went on, "Only the one driving lived. His family, wife and two children, died in the crash. He's in intensive care at the moment though. According to witnesses he caused the accident when he ran through a red light. Your uncle didn't see him and when he did… it was too late." she ended her explanation and looked at him with something akin to pity and concern.

Harry swallowed a lump in his throat, sure he was never very… fond of his relatives but still them dieing in a car crash was a bit of a harsh way to go. Suddenly he had to stop himself from laughing, so the nurse didn't think he'd lost it. It was so ironic, so very ironic. His relatives died in the same way they've told everyone the way his parents died: a car crash. He got over it quickly as the fear of having no place to go came back to him. He forced himself to get control of his voice so he could ask his next question. "So, what- what's going to happen to me…?" he asked quietly while playing with the blanket.

The nurse looked at him as if searching for how he'd handle it. "Well, we had planned on putting you in one of our orphanages but one man heard us discussing it. After he found out you were left homeless for a second time, we found out your parents had died from some of the few charts we could find, and he said he would adopt you. Such a nice and known man too." she said in a bit of a trance with a smile on her face, she shook her head though, "Don't worry though young man; he's already raised one bright boy you're age; Richard is his name. He's actually in Jump City right now attending their private high school, one of the best schools there is. He's very trusted by the adoption services here and is always donating money to help out the orphanages here." she finished trying to comfort the boy and then looked warily at Harry as if waiting for something bad to happen.

Harry thought over her words though, instead of yelling that he'd rather go back to England. _'Well, it wouldn't hurt to go with this man for now. Maybe Dumbledore can help straighten everything out. I mean he can't be too bad…' _he thought quietly before realizing the woman was waiting for a reply. "Okay." he said taking a deep breath, " When do I get to meet him?" he asked her.

She smiled and relaxed. She realized he was still in shock and that it would most likely take some time before everything sunk in and he broke down. "He'll be coming here tomorrow. Until then you're going to rest, then in the morning we are going to run some tests and deem if it's safe for you to leave." She told him while standing up. "Here's the remote for the TV if you get bored. There are also a couple of magazines for you on the bedside table." she told him before leaving the room to go check on another patient.

Harry watched her leave before turning on the TV and watching a couple of shows.

Mentor

When Harry woke up the next morning he felt much better and noticed that the tubes and wires that were on him yesterday were now gone. Sighing happily he sat up but right as he did so he winced. His side absolutely killed! Groaning he lay back down and waited yet again.

Luckily, he didn't have to wait even two minutes before the same nurse came in. "Hello sunshine!" She said brightly. "How's your side feeling? It's going to be in a bit of a pain for awhile so we are going to give you some pain reliever pills. Other then that you check out fine, you were very lucky." she told him as she helped him sit up. She handed him a glass of water and two pills.

Harry held back a groan as he was lifted into a sitting position and gratefully took the pills then he finished the water and handed it back to her. "Thank you." he said to her and eyed the tray of warm food that she had put on the counter in front of him hungrily.

She laughed at this and set it up in front of him and left with a promise of coming back later.

Harry smiled after her and dug into his food with gusto. He hadn't realized just how hungry he was until then and with the pain ebbing away it gave his stomach more power to complain. Soon though he had finished all the food, not caring that it might not be as good as the hospital wing's food. After all food was food. He laid back down with a full stomach and took one of the magazines this time for something to do.

True to her promise Ms. Darkhart came back and took his tray, staying to talk for a moment about the band he had been reading about and how the doctor would come later, before leaving. With nothing to do he could only wait until the doctor came to tell him if he would be able to leave today. He dearly hoped so for this place, while interesting when Ms. Darkhart was here, was very boring otherwise.

After passing most of the day away watching TV and reading he finally heard his door open once more. He turned to it almost expecting the nurse but found the doctor that she said would come. "Hello Mr. Potter. Doing well I hope?" he asked Harry before picking up the chart at the end of his bed and going through it.

Harry stared at the dark skinned fellow before replying, "Yes, I'm doing very well thank you." he said quietly as he nervously watched the doctor look at his chart.

"Well, everything here says that your doing well besides your right side. Am I correct?" The doctor asked Harry walking over to him.

Harry nodded, "Yeah the nurse said that I'd have to be on pain reliever pills for a little while." he said to the doctor. He looked at the nametag: Mr. White. He then watch Mr. White check his lungs, while breathing in and out when needed. Soon the doctor was back at the end of the bed writing in the chart.

"Well, everything seems to check out alright." he said with a satisfied nod. "Just make sure to take two pills when your side starts to hurt but no more than eight pills a day. If you end up taking eight pills and your side is still causing you great discomfort then make sure you come in so we can see if we can prescribe you with something stronger. I'll make sure your guardian gets the pills. Now, I'll go and tell him he can come in; I think he brought some clothes for you so you wouldn't have to leave in hospital garments." Mr. White said before leaving the room.

Harry sighed with relieve, finally he'd be able to leave! He heard the door creak open once more and glanced over to get a look at his new guardian.

Mentor

Wow this is the longest chapter I've ever written ^_^'. I hope you enjoy this first chapter and look forward to reading more as I don't plan on quitting on this story. Plus, this time I have a beta so this should be a good story :D.

I look forward to some reviews and lots of readers (I can hope anyway).

**Fixed up: 1/21/11**


	2. A Meeting to Remember

**Note (1/21/11): Chapter Two done and fixed ^_^. I explained even more about why Harry didn't go back to England.. I'm not sure if I'm even correct with the information but please for the sake of this story lets just pretend it makes sense XD. Thanks…**

**Also in case you guys didn't read the end of the story answers to the comments in chapter 3 I am not claiming to have knowledge on Britain grammar and language, I just wanted to show that hey they are both British and have something in common.**

Wow, you've guys made me so happy that I've decided to start writing the next chapter already! Imagine my surprise when I went to check my mail and I got eight Alerts for this story on the first day (Now I have 14 though :D). Even though I only have 5 reviews but I can live with that for now. I've had 218 hits so far for this story and two favorites ^_^.

Also I've been added to two C2's already:

**Harry Potter 101's favorites **

**Harry Potter Crossover Tower**

So I'm very happy about that as well :D.__

_**Also I would like to thank Impius for beta'ing this story!**_

Okay now that that is out of the way it's time for the story finally! My disclaimer is in the first chapter.

**Ending of last chapter:**

"_Well, everything seems to check out all right." he said with a satisfied nod. "I'll just send in your new guardian. I think he brought some clothes for you so you wouldn't have to leave in hospital garments." Mr. White said before leaving the room. _

_Harry sighed with relief - finally, he'd be able to leave! He heard the door creak open once more, and glanced over to get a look at his new guardian.___

_Chapter Two: A Meeting to Remember_

Harry couldn't help but stare as the man, who was now his new guardian, walked into the room holding a bundle of clothes.

"Hello, Harry. I'm Bruce…" the man, Bruce, said to him, looking unsure of what to do. He'd dealt with helping a little kid get over the death of loved ones, but he was completely unsure how to comfort a teenage boy. After all, his… raising of Richard hadn't turned out too well in the end.

Bruce had black hair that was gelled back into a sophisticated look, and his suit was another hint that this man was a serious businessman. He also had grey eyes that were a shade darker than Malfoy senior's eyes.

Harry realized that he had yet to say anything and had been staring at the man, so he cleared his throat and looked down at his hands for a moment, as if to gain courage, before looking back up. "Hi… I'm guessing you're my new guardian?" was all Harry could think to say to him at the moment.

Bruce studied the boy before him. The boy had naturally messy black hair with a brilliant shade of green eyes that stared out from behind a pair of round glasses. He'd have to ask Harry if they could go shopping tomorrow, for the clothes in his arms were some of Richard's old pairs of clothes and even they looked like they might be a little baggy on the 15 year old boy; plus, he wanted to see if he could buy him a new pair of glasses, as well. Bruce nodded. For the moment, the boy seemed calm enough and didn't look likely to break down at any moment. He walked up to the bed where Harry now sat with his legs dangling over the edge. "Here, I brought some clothes for you… I figured you'd like to leave in normal clothes instead of a hospital gown," Bruce said, chuckling when he noticed Harry's grimace at the thought of walking half covered in a flimsy hospital gown.

"After you return from the bathroom I just need to tell you a few things before we leave. Is that okay?" he asked carefully; he still wasn't sure what to expect. He had actually expected more of an either sad or angry boy, but he must still be in shock due to all of the events that were happening at once.

Harry nodded and stood from the bed, walking into the bathroom before shutting the door behind him, which left Bruce to think for a few minutes after he sat down on the vacated bed.

He had no regrets on taking in the boy - he would have beat himself up if he allowed Harry to go to an orphanage, especially after learning that this was the second time he'd lost his guardians, and now the boy had no other living relatives left. Most would wonder why the boy wasn't send back to Britain to be dealt with but his deceased guardians had made themselves, their son, and Harry citizens in America so now he had dual citizenship. So, since he was in America when the accident happened and because he had no one else alive to care for him in Britain; he was America's to deal with. His thoughts drifted and he couldn't help but wonder what would happen if Richard ever came to visit… he would probably get angry and accuse Bruce of trying to replace him, but the chances of Richard ever coming for a visit were low.

He sighed softly and thought about this new responsibility he had taken on, which in turn led him to wonder if the boy was as good at figuring out secrets as Richard had been, because if so, then it wouldn't take long for Harry to figure out what he did at night. All he knew was that this time he couldn't blow it; he'd have to try to show Harry that he wasn't alone, and that he could count on him for anything. He'd failed Richard in that regard, but he wouldn't make the same mistake twice. Just as he was about to figure out just how he'd be there for Harry, the person in mind stepped out of the bathroom, and - just like Bruce had suspected - the clothes were loose on him.

Bruce gave a small smile that he almost had to force out from years of trying to complete his Emotionless Batman look; he'd have to learn to show actual emotions in front of Harry, not the false ones he assumed for the press and parties (because he had a feeling that the boy in front of him knew the difference between genuine and fake), so he wouldn't think that Bruce had taken him on as charity… like Richard had thought for a while.

Harry smiled tentatively as well and put the gown on the bed, then plopped down on the bed next to Bruce. "… So…" Harry began, "What did you need to talk to me about?" he asked curiously as he looked over at his new guardian.

"Well, I thought I'd tell you about myself so you won't be surprised when we walk out the door," he said as Harry gave him an inquiring look. "You see… I'm a multibillionaire, and I own Wayne Enterprises, which has branches all over the world. So, I'm a bit famous…" he said and trailed off, looking to see how this would affect his new charge.

Harry inwardly groaned, _'No, not more fame…' _he thought, but didn't show Bruce how he felt about it, because he didn't want to worry him. Plus, he wasn't even sure if he could tell Bruce about the wizarding world, so he just nodded, encouraging the man to continue.

Bruce saw the nod. "So when we get out, there might be people waiting, but it shouldn't be that bad since it hasn't really gotten…out…" he said, and realized it was foolish to think that. "So, anything you'd like to tell me about yourself?" Bruce asked Harry.

Harry wasn't sure how to respond. Even if he was sure he could tell Bruce about being a wizard, he didn't know if he could trust the man just yet… Harry shook his head. "No nothing much to say right now," Harry said, and stood up quickly, brushing nonexistent dust from his clothes.

Bruce could tell Harry was holding back on something, but let it go for now. _'It's all about trust…' _he reminded himself as he, too, stood up. He walked to the door and opened it, allowing his new charge to walk out before he followed.

Bruce wasn't joking when he said he was a little famous. _'More like a lot,' _he thought, for as soon as they stepped outside, cameras were flashing in their faces, as reporters tried to be the first to get the scoop on Bruce Wayne's new charge. Luckily, they were able to slip by the press and into a limo with a butler holding the door open for them. Harry gave the butler an interested look and had to remind himself to get to know the man for he seemed like someone good to talk to, even if he did look a bit snobbish with his outfit and posture which could just be his role to play as the sophisticated butler. Soon enough they were traveling through the streets of Gotham and to his new home. It felt weird to say that, even if it was just in his mind. _'New home,' _he thought again and again; he wondered how long he would truly be there and if he should even think of it as his new home.

Bruce watched as Harry stared out the window, looking deep in thought. Actually, when he thought of it, he just now realized that the boy had a British accent… all those years with Alfred around had gotten him so used to the accent that he hadn't thought much of it. It comforted him to know that at least Harry and Alfred would hopefully have some things in common to do when he couldn't be there for Harry.

They pulled into the driveway of his parents' mansion, and before Alfred could do it, he opened the door for Harry, throwing the butler a smirk that clearly said, 'See? Look - a multibillionaire can open a car door, too!' like he did every time he pulled something like that. Noticing Harry was still off in his own world, he tapped Harry's shoulder. "Hey, we're here," he told him, and had to hold back his surprise when Harry jumped, clearly startled. "Are you okay?" He asked with concern, looking at Harry with a hint of suspicion.

Harry gave him a small smile. "Yes, I'm fine… just startled me is all," he said to Bruce, his accent finally standing out to the playboy.

Bruce looked over at Alfred to see if he'd heard, but he had already grabbed the bags and was now all the way at the door, unlocking it. He helped Harry out of the limo and shut the door, leading him to the front doors.

While Harry knew that Bruce was rich due to the reporters, he was still surprised at the size and shape of the manor at which they had arrived. It looked old, yet still in perfect condition, and it was huge. Not as big as Hogwarts, of course, but still a good, big size. As he stared in half concealed awe, he felt himself being pulled closer to the mansion, and soon he was up the steps and was at the open front doors, staring inside. Like the outside, it looked old and used, but still in pristine condition and very clean. He wondered if maybe they had more than just a butler, but from the emptiness he felt standing there and the lack of sound coming from inside the house, he had to guess not.

He shook himself back into awareness to notice two amused looks coming from the men. He gave them a shy smile, trying to shake off the fact that he had stood there and stared for who knows how long. "Harry, Alfred here will help you settle in a room and he'll be able to give you off all the rules… because even I don't remember them all," Bruce said with a wink at Harry, only to receive a stern gaze from Alfred, even though it wasn't very serious.

Harry laughed and watched as Bruce walked away somewhere for the moment, though he would love to stay and see the surprise on Alfred's face when he found out his charge was British as well. Harry then turned to Alfred, and before he could say anything, Alfred began talking. "If you would follow me Master Harry, I can show you to your room," he said, and looked expectantly at him, seeing a bit of surprise pass over the face of Bruce's new charge.

Harry was surprised to hear the British accent he was so used to hearing, which, in turn, made him think of the friends he missed so dearly. Harry had to stop himself from smirking though as he opened his mouth to say something while thinking, _'This is sure to surprise Alfred.'_

-Mentor-

I hope you've enjoyed this chapter, it was pretty much just a filler of meeting Bruce and so on. Next chapter you get to see Alfred's expression of finally having another British person to talk to XD. I almost didn't realize that connection until half way through the story and had to add that to this story.

As for the reviews (I didn't forget my lovely reviewers!):

**Eloisa Skywalker**- I'm glad you like my story ^_^. I'll make sure not to procrastinate with this one. I have a bad habit of that hehe. Also as for the Joker we'll just have to wait and see won't we *winks* By the way he's one of my favorite villains, so there's your clue : )

**Iris**- Not sure who you are as you're a anonymous reviewer but I'll be sure to continue, I'm not giving up on this one.

**Impius**- Thanks so much :D

**WinchesterPhantom**- Heh thanks for catching that ^_^" I checked it so many times but yet I still missed it! See that's why I need a beta lol (Which I now have ^_^). Yes, this will take place, well for right now it's the summer before 6th year, during his 6th year. Just a warning though that **none **of the things that happened in his 6th year are going to happen in this story.

**pAge-bReaTher**- I hope I don't disappoint you on this story. Unfortunately in this story Harry won't be in the Robin suit though that'd be interesting!

**IMPORTANT: **Also I'd at least like five reviews please, because I have 14 people who have me on their alert list, you know tell me what you'd like to see/read in this story (I might just take it to heart and fit it in). I'll also start having questions and/or polls at the end of each chapter which you can answer. Or maybe you didn't like a part in my story you can tell me what you didn't like as well.

Anyway I hope to see some reviews so I can start writing the next chapter! :D

**Fixed up: 1/21/11**


	3. Trouble In Paradise

**Note (1/21/11): There I fixed up all the chapters now ^_^. I hope that fixed some of my more major holes. There are probably more but I can't remember them all. I explained a bit more about Harry's reaction and why he hasn't blown up. I think being with new people is causing him to hold it all it and be shy (because of the Dursley's treatment), he doesn't want to alienate himself from Alfred and Bruce even though they would understand. It will take a bit before Harry has his breakdown. I also fixed a couple mistakes as well. I hope you guys are still reading this.**

_**PLEASE READ FIRST! **_Hello, sorry it's been MONTHS since I've updated… I've actually had this chapter done for a long time now but my beta hasn't replied… I've given my beta a month I think so I don't know what happened….

So this chapter is not been beta'd, the whole reason I waited that long is because I had a real hard time writing this chapter and I really don't like the way it turned out…. It's more so another filler type chapter.

But also if anyone is willing to be a second beta for me (I'll still keep the one I have in case they have a good reason for not writing me back) I'd be forever grateful!

If you point out some flaw or if you want to beta this chapter I'll be happy to fix this chapter up to a better standard and repost it.

Also reviewer who had questions or comments will be answered at the end, some will help with the story because a few of you pointed out big holes o.o thank you by the way. SO I've fixed my story a bit more for that. Yes Harry hasn't broken down into tears yet…. I want Bruce to be there . you'll see what I mean.

But on with the story that has kept you waiting WAY to long.

Ending of last chapter:

_Harry laughed and watched as Bruce walked away somewhere for the moment, though he would love to stay and see the surprise on Alfred's face when he found out his charge was British as well. Harry then turned to Alfred, and before he could say anything, Alfred began talking. "If you would follow me Master Harry, I can show you to your room," he said, and looked expectantly at him, seeing a bit of surprise pass over the face of Bruce's new charge. _

_Harry was surprised to hear the British accent he was so used to hearing, which, in turn, made him think of the friends he missed so dearly. Harry had to stop himself from smirking though as he opened his mouth to say something while thinking, __**'This is sure to surprise Alfred.'**___

_Chapter three: Trouble In Paradise_

"Lead the way." He said with a smile as Alfred's eyes opened with shock, it might have been a short sentence but it was enough.

Alfred was startled to say at the least, after all it wasn't everyday that he got to talk to someone from Britain. "Master Bruce did not tell me you were British… is that where you came from?" Alfred couldn't help but ask as he looked at Harry.

Harry gave a small laugh, "For some reason I think Bruce knew but wanted it to be a surprise… but yes my family and I came from England because of my uncle's job.." Harry told Alfred and watched as he nodded.

" It'll be nice to have someone to talk to then, I haven't been to Britain in a long time…" Alfred said remembering back to when he moved to America.

Harry smiled as Alfred seemed to be lost in thought, "Also just call me Harry, no need to add the Master part, it's too formal." Harry said with a face that clearly said he didn't appreciate the master thing.

The sentence seemed to shake Alfred from his thoughts and he smiled at the boy before him, _'I think we will get along nicely.' _he thought. "Alright then Harry, I think it's time to stop wandering in the halls, if you would follow me I can show you to your room." he said and headed for the stairs which got Harry going as he followed after Alfred.

Alfred led Harry to a room with dark blue and gold colors, which made him think of a mix between Ravenclaw and Gryffindor. The carpet was nice and plush beneath his feet, he had taken his shoes off while he had been transfixed on the beauty of the house, and was a dark blue. All the wood in the room was a dark reddish color, he didn't know what kind it was for he was no expert at types of wood. The walls were also dark blue but with the tops and bottoms painted a gold color, it was the ceiling though that caught his attention, the ceiling was a blackish purple color with a mix of white and yellow dots to represent stars. And finally his bed was covered in dark blue covers and pillow cases but the edges were all gold.

Alfred could tell that Harry was trying to soak up his new room, so he set down one of the few suitcases that had survived the crash, this one being Harry's, down by the door. He gave a polite cough and waited for Bruce's new ward to turn around. "They were able to grab your bag out of the mess and as far as I know they haven't touched it." Alfred said to him kindly, seeing the look of relief replace the look of fear on Harry's face.

Harry hadn't even thought to ask about his trunk, only glad to know that his owl had been safe but now he was more relieved than anything until a thought struck him, _'What if someone searched through it and saw all of my wizard things?' _Harry thought with fear but became relieved once more as Alfred told him that no one had searched through his bag. He gave Alfred a small smile of thanks, glad to be reunited with his trunk that held his wand, for Uncle Vernon had made sure it was locked up before they left much to the chagrin of Harry.

"I'll leave you to your own devices, which in that time I hope you unpack and become familiar with your room. I'll be back up in a little to give you a tour of the house." Alfred said kindly before leaving the room in the most graceful way possible for a man of his age.

-Mentor-

After Harry was done unpacking it almost looked exactly the same except for his trunk besides the dresser and his jacket on his bed. Now that he was done he took a closer look at his room. The door was to the right of him, a fluffy rug was under his feet with his bed behind him and next to the right of the bed was a desk, to the left of the bed was a door to his closet. In front of him was a stand with a TV on top and the dresser, one of those long and short dressers, was to the left with a window above it.

He grinned, happy to be done, he had kept all his magical things in his trunk for now. His broom was with Dumbledore so it would be safe and like he had said before his bird, Hedwig, was with the Weasley's. Now his next problem was clothes, he felt embarrassed just wearing nice clothes that are a bit baggy but wearing his cousin's clothes would make his face burn with shame.

But thankfully these thoughts would soon be put to rest when Alfred came back in with his news.

"Harry, Bruce has requested that we meet him downstairs in 5 minutes so he can take you shopping for some clothes. He wants to help you out as much as possible to feel at home." Alfred said as he looked at Harry with kind eyes. For some reason he had the urge to protect this boy in front of him, whether it was because Harry was British he didn't know.

"Is it okay if I go down there now? I'm done unpacking and don't really have anything to do…" Harry said tentatively though he had a feeling he didn't need to be as wary around Alfred as he was being right now.

"Of course!" Alfred said and guided Harry down the stairs. "I hope you don't mind me asking but where did you live in England?" he asked Harry as they got to the bottom of the stairs.

"Oh, um, I lived in Surrey." he said a bit caught of guard by the question.

"Ah, I see. I don't think ever visited that part of England…" He said thoughtfully. But before he could think to much on it Bruce came in, in a business suit looking like he was in a rush.

"I'm sorry but a meeting came up for a new product we are working on and they need me to be there for input." Bruce said quickly as he grabbed his coat. "I'll take the car there, do you think you could take him for me Alfred?" Bruce asked, not knowing he had made a mistake already.

Harry was forcefully reminded of his relatives, even though Bruce didn't have a nasty tone while saying 'him', he was still talking to Alfred like he wasn't there and that in itself hurt. He put all his weight onto his other leg as he stared at the ground, uncomfortable.

"Oh dear…" Alfred stated worriedly as he looked at Harry and then at Bruce who was already half way out the door and then gone in another second, the door shutting.

Alfred looked at Harry with concern as he continued to stare at the floor. " I know… Master Bruce…. Well he tends to do this sometimes and he usually never realizes it. It's not like he means to and I know he was adamant on it not happening this time around. He wants to be there for you…" Alfred said but realized this would mean nothing coming from him.

Harry just stared at the ground before clearing his voice. "I… I need to go upstairs for a moment…" he said and quickly made his way to his room before Alfred could utter another word.

"Oh dear…" he repeated and it seemed he would be using this phrase a lot in the future. For now he let the boy go and calm down while he went into the kitchen to make some cookies, those always seemed to cheer people up.

As soon as Harry reached his room he shut and locked the door before falling onto his bed, he refused to break down but thinking of the Dursley's made him think about Sirius and thinking of him made his throat swell up and his eyes burn. But he refused to cry right now so he forced his thoughts away into the back of his mind and towards his new guardian.

He wasn't sure what to make of the man, would he be the kind to pretend to care only to break promises and throw Harry to the butler Alfred? Was Harry just a burden that Bruce was already regretting taking into his home? Or was he just blowing this out of proportion? Harry took a few deep breathes, he refused to break down under the pressure and actually he just refused to think of any of this at all. He wanted to be angry and throw things and scream and cry until his throat was raw… but he couldn't do that to Alfred who has only shown him kindness; so just not thinking about it was better for now.

Harry quickly stood up and opened the door, he then started to walk down the stairs only to have his senses assaulted with the smell of freshly baking cookies. They made his mouth water as he reached the end of the stairs and a began his short walk to the kitchen. He found Alfred running around smoothly, taking out a plate and a couple of cups. He cleared his throat which got the intended reaction as Alfred stopped and turned to see Harry standing in the doorway.

"Ah, hello Harry." Alfred said with a smile, he put down the plate and cups and guided Harry over to a chair at the counter. "Do you like chocolate chip cookies?" he asked as the timer went off and he went to pull out the steaming cookies.

Harry nodded before realizing the Alfred wouldn't be able to see it, "Yeah…" he said awkwardly not knowing anything else to add, but it seemed enough for Alfred as he placed the cookie sheet on a cooling rack and turned to give Harry a reassuring smile.

"Good, I would've worried if you didn't." he said jokingly, hoping to get Harry to smile.

It worked as Harry returned the smile, albeit a small one but a smile all the same, before looking back at the counter.

Alfred frowned slightly, worried about the boy before him as he went to the refrigerator and got out some milk, he then poured out some in the two cups before putting one under Harry's gaze.

Harry jumped slightly as a glass of milk was slid under his gaze, it was then he noticed how dry his mouth felt. He hadn't had anything to drink for a while. He grabbed the cup and took a few sips of it, relishing in the fresh, cool drink as it ran down his throat. "Thanks…" he said shyly to Alfred and he stared down at it.

Alfred gave him a smile and sat down preparing for a talk. "I know this won't mean much coming from me but you don't have to feel shy or feel like a burden…" he started his kind eyes falling on Harry.

Harry whipped his head up in shock, his eyes wide. '_How did he know.._' he thought before looking back at his cup with a small blush.

Alfred smiled, "I bet your wondering how I knew, right?" he asked and when Harry nodded he continued. "Bruce had another ward a couple years back, his name is Richard… actually he's around your age now. Well, Bruce was like he is now. He cared for him but he just can't show it well… And because of it when Richard first came when he was seven he felt like a burden and since Bruce was never there he came to me. Finally after a few months of Bruce never being there and Richard becoming more frustrated I sat down and talked with Bruce. Of course he never realized that his busy life was affecting Richard but their relationship changed and eventually over the years Richard came to understand that while Bruce cared he couldn't always be there. But since Bruce still didn't show his feelings, well a few years back they got into a fight and since they were both stubborn and strong-willed neither apologized and Richard left for Jump City. I know for a fact Bruce doesn't want to make this mistake twice." he told Harry seriously and then got up with their plates to get them a couple of cookies. He felt good that he was able to tell the story to Harry without lying. Bruce and Richard had gotten into a fight and part of it was because of Bruce's lack of emotions but it also had to do with their secret lives. He couldn't tell that to Harry though… at least not yet.

Harry sat there thinking about what he learned, '_I knew Bruce had another ward but I thought he had moved to go to a better school? Well maybe that was part of the reason but it must've been because of the fight too. Alfred's right though I'd like to hear this from Bruce… it'd make me feel better anyway to know from him that I wasn't just a charity case….' _Harry thought as Alfred came back with the cookies.

Harry and Alfred ate the cookies in relative silence, after they finished Alfred took care of the dishes but only after he convinced Harry that he needed no help, which was surprisingly not an easy task.

"Now", Alfred started with a smile. "How about that shopping?" he asked.

Harry smiled back, standing up. "I'd love to…" he said as Alfred led them outside to a garage that had enough space for 5 cars but only held one in it. Harry got into the passenger seat as Alfred sat down in the drivers seat.

Alfred pulled out of the garage, closing it with an automatic garage door opener. As he turned around, the driveway being wide enough for him to turn easily, so he could drive forwards instead of backwards Harry caught a glimpse of the limo and couldn't help but feel relieved that they wouldn't be taking that into the city, he didn't need any extra attention.

-Mentor-

The next chapter we'll be taking a break from Harry and his new situation and focusing on Dumbledore and the order and thennn we shall be checking out the shopping experience that Harry and Alfred have. Also sorry about when I posted the whole I want reviews but I mean I'd like to know how I'm doing. It doesn't help if I just get like 1000 views but then no review o.o. It's like did I do good? Bad? Was it so awful they ran away crying? So, I have good reasons…... But really you guys have no idea how much your reviews helped make the story better and gave me so many wonderful ideas that I hadn't considered before.

**Reviews:**

storylistener- Yeah it's after book 5 and it won't be going along with the original story too much, some things will be put in but yeah. Also I have a funky view of my own when it comes to Robin and Batman but yeah it's the first robin XD.

Jd Midnight- You have some interesting ideas. I might make Alfred a squib. Storyline: Alfred was born from a pureblood family but was a squib. But this family wasn't all for Voldemort and didn't care that he didn't have magic which got them killed in the first war. Alfred after he was old enough left for the United States to get a job that landed him with Bruce's family and the rest is history. :D I kinda like it…. That's what will probably go down. Thanks for that suggestion it'll make things more interesting. Dumbledore won't know he's there though but I'll use that. I'll stop with this though so I don't give to much away XD. Also Harry might not come out and say it right away… but I got an idea forming so don't worry it'll be fun.

RRW- Hmmm not sure about what ships yet… I might have it as a question at the end when it gets close enough. But there will be couples I'm just not sure which one I should do yet… I might yet get creative though….

A Marked Propensity- You REALLY made me think but it was good though. I thank you a lot because it brought up a lot of things I didn't think about XD. Answers though: Yes, it takes place in the summer after 5th year. And unfortunately yes Sirius is dead v.v so the events took place.. That's why he has Bruce now :D. Also yes he will have reactions it's coming up very soon, in the next couple of chapters. Also the next chapter will be about the order and Dumbledore… he hadn't realized Harry moved and we'll just say that there aren't guards during the day and so he doesn't find out until the Dursley's die because one the guards aren't using their heads and wondering why everything is so quiet that night and two we'll just say that he still had the protection with him since it's connected through Petunia really. It'll be explained if I didn't explain it right this time XD.

MuffinMartians- Lol thanks for the warning… I'm not going to do too much about the British thing. I just wanted to point out that 'Hey! They are both British! O.o *Gasps*' Hehehe. Of course I might use words like Prat and Mum and stuff like that but that's about it.

**Fixed up: 1/21/11**


	4. Disorder in the Order

**Fixed 7/21/12: Someone brought up some good arguments about this chapter so I added some more detail that hopefully makes it sound more believable. I really am thankful for the reviews that bring out major plot holes that I may not have noticed before. It'll hopefully make the rewrite of this story much, much better.**

**Note:**I rewrote a couple parts of the other three chapters and I don't think it will really effect you if you don't go back and read it but the changes were about the adoption and Harry's lack of emotional breakdown.

Also I know I said I had another authors note but for the life of me I don't know what that was supposed to be soo… yeah XD. And I won't be taking Beta's right now because like I say below I don't know when I'll be updating again.. I'm hoping it won't be too long, not like this time (I have ideas for the chapter…if I can find where I put the paper .).

Disclaimer is in first chapter.

_Chapter 4: Disorder in the Order_

Albus Dumbledore sat at his desk, he popped another lemon drop into his mouth before focusing on the papers before him. _'Paperwork is not how I wanted to spend my summer.' _he thought unhappily, staring at the stacks of even more paper next to him and then looking at the opposite side with his meager amount of **done **papers.

So far his summer was as it always was, boring and tedious. The only joy he usually got now was interrupting Severus and having his dinner with the teachers that stayed behind during the summer.

Just as he was about to pick up another stack of papers to fill out a loud sound went off in his office making him drop the stack that then scattered around the floor. Sighing he looked around until he found the cause of the sound, it was one of his many silver objects but it was the importance of this one silver object that made him pale. He quickly stood while muttering a charm that made the scattered papers fly back to his desk, he walked briskly to the charm turning it off and just staring at it for a moment as if not believing that this was the one to go off.

-Mentor-

The Order was gathered around in the Headmaster's office watching as said Headmaster paced the room before standing to look at them all.

"Who was watching Mr. Potter's house this week?" He asked them all and wasn't surprised as Fletcher hesitantly raised his hand.

"Why? What's happened at Potter's place?" Moody asked, his magical eye swirling around the room as if looking for danger.

"It seems that the Dursley's have been killed-" He began and was cut off by the whispers and gasps of the Order members. "Quiet!" Dumbledore said using his wand to raise his voice to be heard over everyone. Once they were quiet he continued, "The thing is, they weren't killed here in England. They were killed in the States." He told them, going to sit behind his desk.

"But why were they in the states? How did we not realize they were gone until they were killed?" Molly asked worriedly.

"I never thought they would move out of the country so I never put a tracking charm on any of them to alert me when they left. I did have alerts that would tell me if the house was attacked and another one to tell me if the blood wards protecting Harry failed. The one that went off was the blood wards failing, when that happened I looked into it and found out that the Dursley's had moved out this week to go to the states. It was then I found the article on their death and the only two survivors were Harry and the man who caused the accident." He told everyone.

Molly gasped, "That's horrible, poor Harry! Where is he going to go now? When is he coming back?" she asked quickly, only being held down by her husband.

Dumbledore looked at Molly, "As far as I know he escaped with very minor injuries and his relatives got him dual citizenship in America. What was interesting is he didn't go to an orphanage where it would be easy to get him back but instead he was adopted… quite quickly." he told her.

"It was a death eater wasn't it!" Moody shouted, which caused everyone to start yelling at once.

"Quiet!" Dumbledore shouted with the help of his wand once again. Everyone noticed he looked annoyed and quieted down fast, looking sheepishly at him. "Thank you," he sighed, "Now that I can continue I can tell you it wasn't a death eater but a muggle American by the name of Bruce Wayne. Apparently quite famous around the world." He told them as he grabbed something from in one of his desk drawers.

"Well, it looks like Potter will be right at home." Snape sneered.

Dumbledore gave Snape a look while showing the paper to the order. They passed it around, their faces grim. The headline was 'Bruce Wayne's New Charge!'.

Moody looked at Dumbledore gravely, "Now what are we going to do? We can't just take Potter away from the muggle. Too many people know about him being there now. It would be suspicious if this Bruce Wayne character suddenly didn't remember having a new kid around while the whole city knew about him." he told Dumbledore and then glared at Fletcher like it was all his fault.

Dumbledore looked at them all, preparing for the outburst that's sure to happen. "Well, since Mr. Potter is already there and at the moment there is no reason to take him away I was thinking of just leaving him there. I'm also hoping that Bruce Wayne might be able to help Mr. Potter through his relatives deaths since he was closest to Sirius and he is now gone. I don't mean any hurt feelings to you Molly and Arthur but he's never seemed to want to burden you with his problems and maybe Wayne will be able to get through to him." He finished as fast as he could without loosing composure. There was pure silence for a couple minutes; as if people couldn't believe he what he just said.

"You can't be serious Albus! You can't leave him there! What if something happens to him or the muggle isn't a fit parent?" Molly cried out.

"Are you insane, death eaters could get to Potter. Constant Vigilance, that's what I say!" Moody exclaimed.

"Not to mention the fact that it's all over the muggle papers in America. I'm surprised our ministry isn't already aware of this and fighting to get Potter back in England." Severus added calmly.

A few others spoke up about their concerns but only Remus and Arthur were smart enough to stay silent.

After everyone calmed down Albus continued to explain his reasoning. "According to some information I was able to gain, Bruce Wayne has another ward who is currently residing in Jump City in a private school. There have been no complaints from the ward about treatment. Also, I'm sure the death eaters won't try to attack Harry at the moment. Even Voldemort's smart enough to stay away from America for now. If anything he will wait until Harry is back on British soil to strike. Which I'm sure that as soon as he is aware of Harry being in America he will prepare to strike as soon as Harry returns to go back to Hogwarts. On the off chance that Voldemort is foolish enough to try and grab Harry from America I have added some wards around the house Harry will be residing in for extra protection." Albus told them, taking a quick drink of the water he had on his desk before continuing.

"Not only that but I have contacted some friends from America who live in the area and asked them to keep an eye out for suspicious activities. As for the ministry I will deal with them when the time comes. Trust me when I say I would not leave Harry in a place that he wouldn't be safe in. Without the blood ward's protection the safest possible place for him now is in America until school starts." He finished.

Molly seemed to be thinking it over, looking for a loophole. "But what about when it comes time for him to come back? What about the muggle then?" she asked and everyone else looked to Albus, now wondering the same thing.

"Well, I'm hoping Mr. Potter will get close enough to the muggle and owl me about getting permission to tell him. Since Wayne now has custody of a magical child he is privy to the information of Potter being a wizard. I plan on having Young Ronald send Harry his owl back to him towards the end of summer." he told him, hoping they would finally give up and agree that this was the best thing for the boy.

Molly looked at him, apparently still looking for loopholes. "Alright.. Well then what if they don't bond like you hope they will?" Molly asked her final question.

Albus leaned forward and stared at Mrs. Weasley. "Well, we are just going to have to hope that they do bond, now won't we." he told her, his eyes twinkling.

-Mentor-

Albus Dumbledore sat in his desk later that night. He stared down at the newspaper one more time; ignoring the papers he should be completing. _'I hope I'm making the right choice…_' he thought, staring at the unmoving Harry Potter who was shielding his eyes from the camera flashes. _'I've done you so much wrong, Harry. I can only hope I'm giving you the second chance at a family you deserve.'_

-Mentor-

**Note: **Wow! Well there you have it people : ). Chapter four! It's fairly short and for that I'm deeply sorry and it's unedited and I didn't really look it over before I posted it. I would ask for a beta but I have no idea when the next update will be. I'm in my second semester of college and I'm overloaded with homework right now…. homework I should be doing instead. But alas it is 2 am in the morning and I just had the urge to finish this chapter for you all. I feel horrible for keeping you waiting : (

**Note two: **I really hope you all like it though. If you guys see any major mistakes with grammar and spelling please let me know so I can fix it! But I wanted to give you guys a look at how Albus and the order handled Harry being out of the state (plus people mentioned it as well and I realized I almost forgot about them). But please tell me what you all think.


	5. No Room for Jokes

**Fixed 7/21/12: Okay so someone brought up the timeline and to tell you the truth I completely forgot that it would be around the 1990's when Harry finishes his fifth year. So, I've decided to go a little AU on the story and change the time slightly so that it's the year 2000 when Harry finishes his fifth year just so the computers can be more high tech (I planned on Batman's cave being filled with nice technology so yeah). So I did go back and change the game console to fit in with that time XD, since I know the xbox 360 wasn't out in 2000. I apologize for the confusion.**

Okay so I could feed you excuses but I won't. Honestly this chapter just took a very long time to write. I'm still not satisfied with it. I feel like everyone is out of character and that it's choppy. I had a hard time figuring out where to give more detail and where to give less… I seriously started this chapter last year but I just couldn't write it to my standards. *Sigh* so really any feedback would be wonderful.

**Important Note: **I will not be using a beta for the rest of the time it takes me to finish this story only because of my sporadic uploading. I don't think it would be fair to a beta and so I decided that once I finish this story I will find a beta to look over each chapter and help me figure out plot holes and bad grammar. Depending on how much is changed I might just upload the whole story again as a rewrite or something.

That being said, I have re-read this chapter over once and fixed the mistakes I found but it is by no means perfect, I am horrible with grammar. You have been warned.

So I won't bore you with any more talking and let you all get on with the story… you know… if anyone is actually left reading this XD.

Disclaimer is in first chapter

**Last Note: **I'm gonna say that when Bruce took Harry from the hospital it was a little after lunch so hopefully the time towards the end will be believable. If not and someone is really bothered by it just tell me and I'll try to fix it the best I can.

- - -Mentor- - -

_Chapter Five: No Room for Jokes_

For the most part Harry stared out the window at the passing buildings. He noticed that the closer they got to their destination the better the view became. He wondered why that was and asked Alfred.

Alfred gave him an amused smile, surprised that Harry had noticed, "Hmm, that's because we are getting closer to the shopping district and since it's the part of Gotham that most people travel through the police and government try to keep it as nice as possible."

Harry hummed in understanding, "Makes sense, I guess."

It took about twenty minutes to get to the actual shopping district but to Harry it was worth the drive. Everything seemed bigger and nicer. There were lots of lights and signs here which made Gotham seem almost like a normal city compared to it's regular gloomy looks. Although Harry had no real basis to go off on as to what a normal city looked like, he never really paid close attention to London when he was there, but from what he had noticed of London this part of Gotham looked somewhat similar. A lot of the outer part of the shopping district was made of skyscrapers and businesses until they got to the middle where all the stores were. The stores weren't nearly as big as the businesses but there were some that were about three to four stories high.

"So, I was thinking that we could find a parking spot and explore the shopping district. What do you think?" Alfred asked Harry, glancing at him.

"That sounds fine.." Harry replied after a moment, he still wasn't used to an adult actually asking for his opinion on things. He was too used to being either bossed around by the Dursleys or being told what was good for him by Dumbledore and occasionally Mrs. Weasley.

Alfred gave him an almost praising smile, "Excellent." he then pulled into one of those parking garages that looked to be about five stories high, paying the man next to the opening so they could continue in. After Alfred found a parking spot on the second floor they got out and soon they were back in the open with Harry looking around and up at all the different stores.

Alfred could see that Harry was overwhelmed and so he grabbed Harry by the arm gently.

Harry jumped at the feeling of someone grabbing him only to scold himself as he looked up and saw Alfred's concerned face. "Sorry," Harry started sheepishly, "You startled me."

Alfred gave him a small smile, "Then it's me who should apologize. I was just going to suggest that we head to a formal clothing store and get that part of the shopping out of the way so that we can have some fun."

Harry smiled, relieved. "Yeah sure, how bad could it be?"

Alfred laughed but refused to explain why when Harry looked at him questioningly. He couldn't wait to see Harry's reaction to just how bad it could be.

Alfred's answering laugh didn't do anything to help Harry's nerves about going into the formal wear store. However, he was convinced nothing could be as bad as standing on a stool being poked by Madam Malkin's needles.

- - -Mentor- - -

Harry hated being wrong. This store was way worse than Madam Malkin's. He had followed Alfred into the store tentatively and stood back to let him do all the talking with the owner, that was probably his first mistake.

_Before he knew what was happening he heard a gasp and the owner say, "Well, that just won't do!". Then before he knew it he was being dragged to the back where a stool stood surrounded by mirrors. He of course knew what this meant, a store that made custom clothes. _

_The owner then disappeared murmuring something about colors and suddenly Alfred appeared a moment later walking in while laughing lightly. This was put to a stop by Harry turning to glare at him, "You set me up." he said, pouting at the other man._

_Alfred, who had been trying to mask his laughs after being glared at, smirked at him. "No did not. I told you it wouldn't be fun."_

_Harry huffed and turned away._

_Alfred just smiled at Harry's back and leaned out the doorway yelling, "Don't forget undergarments and shoes please!"_

_Harry's eyes widened as he turned back to the man, "You are evil! Luring me in with cookies and milk and then torturing me with this." Harry told him while looking at Alfred suspiciously. Inside he was sighing with relief, he had almost made a joke about Alfred being a death eater in disguise before remembering he was a muggle. It made him realize just how unfamiliar he was with having a muggle companion he actually enjoyed spending time with._

"_Yes, it was my evil plan all along." Alfred joked with him, his eyes glinting with humor. _

The joking with Alfred continued for a bit after that. Which, in all honesty, he still had no idea where that come from. It had just felt like the right thing to do at the time, especially after their short bonding moment earlier back home. It wasn't until after they had settled down that the owner had returned. This was also the moment that Harry had filed away as the most awkward moment in his life. This was because Harry then had to deal with the owner measuring his whole body. He quickly learned it was much more embarrassing having someone do it personally than just having a tape measurer magically measure him. It had seemed like hours before the owner finally finished. Then both the butler, in which Harry glared at him for joining in and Alfred expertly ignored said glare, and owner had started shoving different colors and fabrics at him, talking about which kinds went best. Harry didn't even try to get a word in, feeling as if it wasn't worth it and so zoned out for most of it. He was just hoping that this would be for special occasions only.

It wasn't until about an hour later that it was all finished and they were told to come back in one week to see how it all fit and make final adjustments. This information had made Harry groan internally, at least with Madam Malkin you only had to endure the torture once until you had to go back for new robes once the old one's became too small. However, even though the experience had been uncomfortable and annoying he was still grateful for it all, he knew in the muggle world that custom clothes were quite expensive and he didn't even want to think about how expensive those clothes that Alfred just ordered for him were.

It wasn't until after they were leaving the store that a question come to mind. "Alfred?" Harry asked, getting the man's attention, "Why did the store owner himself do all that? Isn't it usually an assistant who does the measuring?"

Alfred looked at him with something akin to pride, "My, you are observant aren't you?"

This made Harry blush and shrug at the man, making Alfred smile.

"Yes, usually such things are handled by an assistant but since Bruce is a regular customer who is known to give good tips the owner usually handles everything himself to make sure it all goes well and Bruce has no reason to find any place else." Alfred told Harry as they walked on the sidewalk.

Harry gave a noise of understanding, "Makes sense, I guess. So, erm…. Where are we going now?" he asked still feeling slightly overwhelmed at all the stores.

Alfred noticed this and decided to make some suggestions. "Well, we could always go and get some casual clothes and then you will have some money to get anything else you may want, like games or books. Just things to entertain yourself with." Alfred told him.

Harry felt himself flush, "Okay, but there's really no need to get me games or books or anything.."

Alfred glanced down at his charge and gave a concerned frown when he noticed how uncomfortable the boy had gotten, "Don't be silly Harry. It would be no problem to get you some things to entertain yourself with."

Harry fidgeted but gave a small, quick nod.

Alfred felt like he had to do something to distract the young man and so he reached over and ruffled his hair. He smirked as Harry yelled out, disgruntled and mumbling something that sounded like 'not my hair' while trying, in vain, to fix it.

"Now, I know a wonderful place that has teenage clothing that you might enjoy."

- - -Mentor- - -

After Harry spent about two hours with Alfred in a posh looking clothing store they both came out with way too many bags of clothing and had to go unload them into the car before moving on.

It was during this that Harry gathered his courage and turned to Alfred. "Thank you for all this." he told the man uncomfortably before turning away quickly and reaching for another bag.

Alfred's eyes softened and he grabbed Harry by the shoulders. This action stopped Harry from grabbing the next bag and made him look into the older gentleman's eyes.

"I'm glad you are grateful Harry, but please I am only doing what's right by clothing you. I'll admit I may of gone a bit overboard because I felt like you deserved it but I did nothing special. Besides," Alfred continued, smirking, " it isn't even my money."

Harry, about ready to retort to the first part, paused as Alfred mentioned the last bit. Harry had to choke out his sentence, "Not… your money?" he asked shocked.

Alfred smirked, "I am still just a butler you know. I may get paid over what normal people would earn in a similar job because I am like family to Master Bruce, but he was the one who gave me free range over his own money to buy you things."

Harry literally felt himself pale, "But won't he be upset?" he asked, guiltily.

Alfred noticed his charge's condition and frowned in concern. "No, what we bought so far has barely made a dent in Master Bruce's earnings. Besides we both agreed you could use a bit of pampering."

Harry, who unsuccessfully ignored that last part, blushed. However, he had a feeling the whole pampering thing was more so Alfred's idea than Bruce's. Which made Harry think… _'We bought a lot of really expensive clothing today and yet it didn't make a dent? Did that mean all this meant nothing to Bruce? That spending this amount of money was a common thing and most likely just done so I wouldn't embarrass Bruce in public?'_

Before Harry could continue his line of thought Alfred broke through them, almost as if knowing what Harry was thinking. "Do not think that just because Bruce can be frivolous with his spending habits that all this means nothing. Not only do I care about you but I don't want you to doubt for a second that Master Bruce does as well. I know you have doubts right now about how much Master Bruce cares about you but I hope that soon you will see that he does." Alfred told Harry, trying to reassure the young man as best as he knew how.

Harry did feel himself relax at those words and he gave a small smile to the man, "Well, thank you… again. And I guess I owe Bruce a thank you as well?.." Harry asked him before trailing off.

Alfred nodded and before the silence could get awkward he decided it was time to move on to the fun part of the shopping trip. "Now, why don't we go look at some video consoles and games. Then we can stop and get some books too if you want."

Harry sputtered at this, "But I really don't need those things… I mean… I've never really played video games or read books for fun…" he said trailing off once more, looking slightly uncomfortable.

"Well, what about sports? Do you want to get anything so you can play? We could get you equipment and sign you up with a trainer if you want to learn something new." Alfred told Harry, frowning slightly.

Harry, if possible, began to look even more uncomfortable. "Um… that's really not necessary… I don't really play too many sports or paid enough attention to any to see if they looked interesting…"

This made Alfred look at Harry with real concern, after all what teenage boy didn't participate in at least one of those three things, "Well, what do you do for fun?"

Harry blushed and shrugged, not meeting the man's face.

Alfred felt that something was very wrong with this but decided to let it go because it obviously caused his charge distress. He cleared his throat, "We will just have to fix this then, won't we?" Alfred told Harry before steering him towards the nearest game store.

Harry looked up at the man in shock, "What do you mean?"

Alfred smiled down at him, "Why, it means we are going to go so you can find something to occupy yourself with. After all it does get boring around the house with nothing to." he said, simply.

Harry just let himself be led towards the store, not having an comeback for what Alfred said.

As soon as they made it into the game store Harry was immediately overwhelmed. Games in their cases covered all the walls and in the middle of the store held other games and accessories and then behind the cashiers desk there were different consoles.

Alfred gently led Harry towards the desk which held a younger man behind it, probably in his late twenties, "He's here to purchase a console and some games but he's not sure which one to purchase. Could you help us pick one out?"

The young man's face lit up and he turned to Harry, "Well, if you are looking for a console worth it's price I would recommend the Sony Playstation. We've gotten very good reviews for the product and there are many awesome games you can play with it. Plus the controls are simple."

Harry honestly didn't understand what any of that meant and when he glanced at Alfred he noticed that he didn't either. So, trying not to show how inept he was with gaming consoles, he just nodded. "Erm, sure that sounds great.."

The young cashier grinned. "Awesome, while I get that for you, you should go ahead and check out some games."

Harry looked up at Alfred for assurance.

"Go on Harry, I'll wait here for you." Alfred told him, smiling, "My guess is that all the one's that have the words Playstation on them are the one's you should pick from."

Harry gave an unsure nod and turned to go look at games. He walked over and grabbed one of the first one's on the self and looked at it. It said: 'Ace Combat 2' and by looking at the small summary on the back he learned it was some sort of shooting game with airplanes. It didn't really appeal to him so he set it down.

Finally after sifting through more games he found three that seemed interesting and so he carried them up to where Alfred and the guy were waiting. As he made it up Alfred turned and looked at him and the games, "Is that all you want?"

Harry nodded and placed the games on the counter where the guy then began to scan them.

Everything went smoothly and soon Harry and Alfred were leaving the store.

As they were leaving, Harry convinced Alfred that he didn't need to stop anywhere else tonight since it was getting late and so they decided to drop off the purchases in the car and go out to eat.

Alfred decided to take Harry somewhere more laid back from where Bruce would usually go out for dinner and so took Harry to an Applebee's that was nearby.

It was two hours later when the two made their way out with their leftover's secured in their arms. Alfred had gotten Harry and extra cheesecake dessert when he noticed how much Harry had enjoyed it. Even though Harry had complained and tried to tell Alfred that it wasn't like they couldn't come back another time but Alfred wasn't having it.

On the way back to the car they made some small talk and enjoyed each others company but Harry knew it was too good to be true.

It was about 10pm, they had just turned the block and were about five blocks away from the parking garage when it happened. The bank up ahead exploded and Alfred found himself dropping his bags and grabbing Harry to shield him from any flying debris.

Harry had to stop himself from going for his wand but then remembered he had left it in his suitcase anyway. He almost cursed himself for not having it but he really hadn't had anywhere to put it with the baggy clothes he was wearing.

Thankfully only some small debris hit the two and Alfred released Harry before grabbing him by the shoulders and steering him away from the action.

Harry was still quite shocked at what happened but more so he was befuddled by Alfred's lack of shock. "What's going on?" he asked, confused.

Alfred just shook his head, looking back cautiously.

A moment later an awful laughter filled the air which made Harry shudder something fierce. "What was _that_" Harry exclaimed trying to look back even as Alfred protested but he was able to twist away and look back at what had to be one of the most terrifying scenes of his life, a scene which was right up there with his encounter with Voldemort at the ministry. For up by the bank was a man in white makeup laughing crazily, even from this far away Harry could see the harsh red smile which made the hair on his arms stand on end.

"That's the Joker…" Alfred told Harry quietly.

"The Joker?" Harry asked confused, glancing back at Alfred before looking back at this man… the Joker.

Suddenly the Joker seemed to glance in their direction, this made Alfred react once more in pulling Harry away. However before his view of the man disappeared completely another person came out of no where knocking the Joker down. Harry cried out in surprise which was sudden enough for Alfred to become distracted.

Alfred glanced back at what had caught Harry's attention and smiled. "And that is Batman, our city's protector."

Harry watched in slight awe as Batman knocked a gun away from the Joker and then punched him the face. "Wow… this is insane… I mean, I remember hearing that there was someone named Batman here protecting the city but I'll admit it was a little hard to believe. This… this is bloody insane." Harry said as he watched the battle.

Alfred smirked, "Language." he admonished before continuing, "It is quite incredible though… However we should really leave now before the fight gets too close to us and we get injured or worse. Trust me you do not ever want to catch the Joker's attention." Alfred warned before grabbing Harry a final time a successfully pulling him away.

They both made the long journey back to the car, the sound of the battle still close enough for them to hear and the bags of leftovers left in the street long forgotten.

- - -Mentor- - -

When they got home Harry realized Bruce wasn't back from wherever he had went off to earlier today. Harry was starting to think he should expect this cycle from the man. As he and Alfred brought his purchases up to his room he couldn't help but wonder why Bruce even bothered adopting him if he was just going to ignore him. Despite Alfred's assurances that Bruce did indeed care for him he couldn't keep the thoughts at bay. He knew he shouldn't be making such assumptions when he had only known the man for a day but his first impressions weren't great.

Alfred seemed to sense that Harry needed some time alone and so once all the bags were upstairs he told Harry to get some rest and that they could take care of the bags tomorrow. _'In the meantime'_, Alfred thought, _'I need to have a little chat with a certain bat.'_

Harry shot Alfred an appreciated glance as the man left and got ready for bed. At this point he just wanted to pass out on his new comfortable bed and forget about Bruce's absence and the crazy goings on of Gotham city. With this last thought Harry snuggled into the sheets and comforter and let himself drift off to sleep, dreaming of bats and snakes fighting to the death with the sound of the Joker's laughter echoing around them.

- - - Mentor- - -

Also the little dream at the end was inspired by that part in the first Harry Potter book where Harry has that weird dream with Snape, Quirrell and the turban. That part just came to me one day anddd just like the dream in the actual book this dream is symbolic, maybe : ).


End file.
